check.
An inspection or examination.
Meaning & usage
An inspection or examination.
I don't know if she will be there, but it's worth a check.
A control; a limit or stop.
checks and balances
The castle moat should hold the enemy in check.
A situation in which the king is directly threatened by an opposing piece.
A mark (especially a checkmark: ✓) used as an indicator.
An order to a bank to pay money to a named person or entity.
I was not carrying cash, so I wrote a check for the amount.
A bill, particularly in a restaurant.
I summoned the waiter, paid the check, and hurried to leave.
A maneuver performed by a player to take another player out of the play.
The hockey player gave a good hard check to obtain the puck.
A token used instead of cash in various contexts, including sign-out of company property or collection of rations (dated), in gaming machines, or in gambling generally.
a brass check
A lengthwise separation through the growth rings in wood.
A mark, certificate, or token by which errors may be prevented, or a thing or person may be identified.
a check given for baggage
a return check on a railroad
The forsaking by a hawk of its proper game to follow other birds.
A small chink or crack.
In randomizers, a possible place where an item may be.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *tek- Proto-Indo-Iranian *kšáyati Proto-Iranian *xšáyati Old Persian 𐏋 (XŠ) Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (mlkʾ) Classical Persian شاه (šāh)bor. Arabic شَاه (šāh)bor. Medieval Latin scaccusder. Old French eschecbor. Middle English chek English check From Middle English chek, chekke, borrowed from Old French eschec, eschek, eschac, from Medieval Latin scaccus, borrowed from Arabic شَاه (šāh, “king or check at chess, shah”), borrowed from Classical Persian شَاه (šāh, “king”), from Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (mlkʾ /šāh/), from Old Persian 𐏋 (XŠ /xšāyaθiya/, “king”), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kšáyati (“he rules, he has power over”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tek- (“to gain power over, gain control over”). Compare Saterland Frisian Schak, Schach, Dutch schaak, German Schach, Danish skak, Swedish schack, Icelandic skák, French échec, Italian scacco. Doublet of chess and shah (“king of Persia or Iran”), from the same source, as well as thig, which derives from the Germanic cognate. All of the English senses developed from the chess sense.
To inspect; to examine.
Check the oil in your car once a month.
Check whether this page has a watermark.
To verify the accuracy of a text or translation, usually making some corrections (proofread) or many (copyedit).
To mark items on a list (with a checkmark or by crossing them out) that have been chosen for keeping or removal or that have been dealt with (for example, completed or verified as correct or satisfactory).
Check the items on the list that interest you.
Check the correct answer to each question.
To control, limit, or halt.
Check your enthusiasm during a negotiation.
In mid-sentence, I checked myself abruptly, looking terribly embarrassed.
To scold or rebuke someone.
To verify or compare with a source of information.
Check your data against known values.
To leave in safekeeping.
Check your hat and coat at the door.
To leave with a shipping agent for shipping.
Check your bags at the ticket counter before the flight.
To pass or bounce the ball to an opponent from behind the three-point line and have the opponent pass or bounce it back to start play.
He checked the ball and then proceeded to perform a perfect layup.
That basket doesn't count—you forgot to check!
To disrupt another player with the stick or body to obtain possession of the ball or puck.
The hockey player checked the defenceman to obtain the puck.
To announce that one is remaining in a hand without betting.
Tom didn't think he could win, so he checked.
To make a move which puts an adversary's king in check; to put in check.
After I checked my opponent with a pawn, he resigned immediately.
To chide, rebuke, or reprove.
To slack or ease off, as a brace which is too stiffly extended.
To crack or gape open, as wood in drying; or to crack in small checks, as varnish, paint, etc.
To make checks or chinks in; to cause to crack.
The sun checks timber.
To make a stop; to pause.
To clash or interfere.
To act as a curb or restraint.
To turn, when in pursuit of proper game, and fly after other birds.
To check out, make sense or prove to be the case after verification or interrogation.
In randomizers, to go to and collect a possible place where an item may be.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English chekken, partly from Old French eschequier and partly from the noun (see above).
An expression showing that a requirement has been satisfied.
Keys? Check. Batteries? Check. We are all ready to go!
An expression that indicates that the speaker wishes to pay the bill (e.g. in a restaurant).
Where this word comes from
From Middle English chekken, partly from Old French eschequier and partly from the noun (see above).
A pattern made up of a grid of squares of alternating colors; a checkered pattern.
The tablecloth had red and white checks.
Any fabric woven with such a pattern.
Where this word comes from
By shortening from chequer, from Old French eschequier (“chessboard”), from Medieval Latin scaccarium, ultimately from the same Persian root as above.
To mark with a check pattern.
Where this word comes from
By shortening from chequer, from Old French eschequier (“chessboard”), from Medieval Latin scaccarium, ultimately from the same Persian root as above.
Checky, i.e. chequy.
Where this word comes from
By shortening from chequer, from Old French eschequier (“chessboard”), from Medieval Latin scaccarium, ultimately from the same Persian root as above.
Alternative form of chick (“window blind or door screen”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.